Nothing OS 5.0 rolls out in India: 80+ upgrades, AI tools, new widgets and more

Nothing has begun rolling out Nothing OS 5.0, bringing Android 17 to its Phone (3) plus more than 80 changes to the smartphone experience. The update focuses on everyday features, including Home Screen customisation, multitasking, notifications and AI tools. However, not every Nothing or CMF smartphone will receive it immediately, as the rollout is starting with the Phone (3) before expanding to other devices over the coming months. The stable release also adds features beyond the Open Beta, including a redesigned Home Screen and a new Lock Screen clock face. 

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Home Screen gets a redesign, with new widgets

The most visible changes are on the Home Screen and Lock Screen. Widgets and the search bar now feature transparent elements, while the colour scheme adapts to the user's wallpaper. A new Micrographics clock face brings the date, time, weather and upcoming meetings together on the Lock Screen.

The update also introduces two widgets - Collector, for creating visual collections of favourite objects, and Away Time, which tracks screen-free time. You can even move multiple apps and widgets at once while editing the Home Screen. Other interface changes include refreshed icons, spacing, and animations across the status bar, Settings, Camera, and Gallery, along with the Geist typeface.

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AI tools, performance and Android 17 features

Beyond the visual changes, Nothing OS 5.0 aims to improve responsiveness, background app retention and system resource management. Animations have also been refined across apps, folders, widgets and multitasking.

On the AI front, Essential Voice brings faster, cleaner transcription, while Essential Space adds Smart Collections. Further Essential Space improvements will arrive through Google Play. Essential Apps Builder lets you describe and create AI-powered apps directly on your phone without coding. The Android 17-based update also brings separate Notifications and Quick Settings panels, cross-platform Quick Share, enhanced privacy controls and a redesigned Recents screen.

Nothing has not announced when other eligible smartphones will receive the update. The rollout is expected to expand to more Nothing and CMF devices over the coming months.